Indianapolis Colts News

TheGeneral+ · Oct 6, 2003

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- Tony Dungy's 48th birthday had a little bit of everything. It ended with an improbable victory in his former home.

After rallying from a 21-point deficit to the NFL's best defense with less than four minutes remaining, the Indianapolis Colts stunned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime, 38-35, when Mike Vanderjagt 's second attempt at a game-winning field goal successfully knuckled off the right goalpost.

Vanderjagt - who had been 12-for-12 on field-goal attempts this season - missed wide right on a 40-yard attempt with 3:52 left in overtime but defensive end Simeon Rice was whistled for a highly questionable unsportsmanlike penalty call for using a teammate for leverage. Replays indicated Rice grazed a teammate's back on his way down.

On Vanderjagt's second attempt, from 29 yards out, defensive end Ellis Wyms tipped the kick, but it still had enough force to just go through and help the Colts become the first team in NFL history to win after trailing from 21 points down with less than four minutes to play.

Dungy went 54-42 in six seasons coaching the Bucs before being fired following the 2001 season by owner Malcolm Glazer, who targeted Bill Parcells as his successor. After Parcells jilted the Bucs, Glazer sent four draft picks and $8 million to the Oakland Raiders for Jon Gruden, who immediately led the team to its first Super Bowl title.

Dungy's former squad dominated his current one in the first half, jumping out to a 21-0 advantage and taking a 35-14 edge on Ronde Barber 's 29-yard interception return with 5:09 left.

But Brad Pyatt returned the kickoff 90 yards, setting up James Mungro 's three-yard touchdown run with 3:37 left. Idress Bashir recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Peyton Manning tossed a 28-yard TD pass to Marvin Harrison to cut the deficit to 35-28 with 2:29 left.

The Colts (5-0) narrowly missed recovering another onside kick but prevented the Bucs from getting a first down and took advantage of a pair of penalties that stopped the clock to get the ball back with 1:41 left. One play after Warren Sapp was whistled for an unnecessary roughness penalty on Manning, the quarterback completed a 52-yard pass to Harrison to the Tampa Bay 6, and Ricky Williams ran it in from one yard out to tie the score with 35 seconds remaining.

The Bucs' defense had allowed one touchdown in their first three games but surrendered four in the fourth quarter alone. Tampa Bay (2-2) had not given up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter since November 19, 1989 at Chicago.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/recaps/2003/10/06/771_recap.html

JUMBO227 · Oct 7, 2003

WHAT DID I TELL YOU GENERAL, THIS IS LIKE WATCHING WWF WRESTLING. RAY CHARLES COULD HAVE PICKED THE WINNER, AFTER GETTING BURNT BIG TIME ON THE WASHINGTON GAME, I FIGURE ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. HAVE A GOOD ONE.

TheGeneral+ · Oct 7, 2003

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Indianapolis Colts were without running back Edgerrin James for a second consecutive game.

The reason? The long-term health of the team.

"This was a big game," owner Jim Irsay said before the Colts defeated Tampa Bay 38-35 in overtime Monday night at Raymond James Stadium. "But it's a long season and we're looking at the big picture.

"We want to earn home-field advantage and get that first-round (playoff) bye. I can't tell you how important that is."

James, who has been ailing since taking a helmet to his back Sept. 21 against Jacksonville, said late last week he and team officials have agreed he won't play if he isn't close to 100 percent or there is a chance he could aggravate the injury. He wants to make certain he's healthy for the stretch drive to the playoffs in December.

"We need Edge for that," Irsay said.

With James looking on from the sideline, Ricky Williams started his second consecutive game. Dominic Rhodes and James Mungro provided frequent support.

Nelson injured

Colts linebacker Jim Nelson was taken off the field on a golf cart in the second quarter after suffering a fractured left clavicle (collarbone).

Nelson remained on the field for several minutes with 4:02 to play in the second quarter. A stretcher was placed under Nelson before he was lifted onto the golf cart.

Nelson gave a "thumbs up" gesture as he left the field.

Colts tandem moving up

Quarterback Peyton Manning and wide receiver Marvin Harrison hooked up for two second-half touchdown passes -- 37 yards in the third quarter, 28 yards in the fourth quarter -- for the 63rd and 64th of their career.

That broke the club record of 63 held by Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry and moved them into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time NFL list.

Next in line for Manning and Harrison is the tandem of Buffalo's Jim Kelly and Andre Reed with 65. San Francisco's Steve Young and Jerry Rice top the list with 85, followed by Miami's Dan Marino and Mark Clayton (79).

Ready for some football?

"Season ticket waiting list: 80,000," says the sign outside Raymond James Stadium.

The fact of the matter is the sign needs an update. In addition to the stadium's 65,500 seats being sold out on a season-ticket basis, the waiting list established in 1997 now exceeds 100,000 season-ticket requests.

Football is king in the South, and it's nowhere more evident than in Tampa.

The mania was particularly acute in January after Tampa Bay's 27-10 victory in the NFL Championship Game at Philadelphia.

During the week before the Super Bowl, the parking lot in front of Buccaneer Heaven, the city's No. 1 retailer of Bucs apparel, trinkets and mementos, was jammed.

It was a 2-hour wait to get into the store, so Bucs fans brought their coolers and grills. They tailgated, threatening the other tenants in the strip mall on Florida Avenue on Tampa's north side with financial ruin.

"We sold the place empty," store manager Brad Cohen said. "We sold to the bare walls."

'D' gives three assists

Not that the Bucs needed help, but the Colts insisted on providing a helping hand in the second quarter.

Three penalties kept a Tampa Bay drive alive. Detron Smith was flagged for holding on a Tom Tupa punt, giving the Bucs a first-and-10 at their 16. Other first down-producing penalties belonged to end Chad Bratzke, offsides on a third-and-5, and cornerback Nick Harper, called for a hands-to-the-face penalty on a third-and-3.

The Bucs couldn't capitalize and had to punt.

Notes

Williams' 19-yard run in the third quarter equaled the Colts' longest of the season. . . . The Bucs' Michael Pittman became the third consecutive running back to surpass 100 yards against the Colts (16 rushes, 106 yards). He followed New Orleans' Deuce McAllister, who rushed 17 times for 101 yards, and Jacksonville's Fred Taylor (17 for 126 yards). Previously, the Colts had an NFL-long streak of 14 games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. . . . Ellis Wyms' sack of Manning in the fourth quarter extended the Bucs' streak of games with at least one sack to 64. That trails Dallas' record of 68. . . . The Colts' inactives were James, cornerbacks Donald Strickland and Joseph Jefferson, linebacker Cato June, offensive tackle Ryan Diem, defensive tackle Brandon Hicks and wide receiver Aaron Moorehead.

http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/0/081259-9620-036.html

TheGeneral+ · Oct 8, 2003

INDIANAPOLIS - Colts running back Edgerrin James might not play against Carolina on Sunday because of a sore back.

Coach Tony Dungy said Tuesday that the Colts might hold James out if his back is still sore. The Colts have a bye Oct. 19, and if James does not play, it would give him two more weeks to get healthy.

He has missed two straight games.

The most serious injury in the Colts' 38-35 overtime win over Tampa Bay on Monday night was to backup linebacker Jim Nelson, who broke his left collarbone. Dungy said Nelson will be out eight to 12 weeks, although it was uncertain whether he would need surgery.

Starting left tackle Tarik Glenn also was injured Monday. He finished the game, but the Colts were awaiting results of an MRI exam on a strained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Glenn has started 101 straight games.

Dungy said he expected starting linebacker David Thornton to play Sunday despite a strained quadriceps. Dungy said Thornton probably would be limited in practice this week.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/sports/6955435.htm

Fishhead · Oct 8, 2003

Dallas Clark gets my vote for ROOKIE OF YEAR thus far into the season......thats all I know.

TheGeneral+ · Oct 9, 2003

INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis Colts starting offensive tackle Tarik Glenn was listed Wednesday as questionable for Sunday's game against Carolina.

Coach Tony Dungy said Glenn had an MRI Tuesday that revealed a strained ligament in his left knee. Glenn has started 101 straight games since joining the Colts as a first-round pick in 1997 and protects Peyton Manning's blindside as the left tackle.

Glen, who was held out of practice Wednesday, said he hoped to practice Friday and that he would play Sunday if he was needed.

Meanwhile, running back Edgerrin James practiced sparingly Wednesday as he continues to recover a from a sore back that has caused him to miss the last two games.

James said he would like to play, but Dungy indicated Tuesday that if he wasn't feeling better, the Colts were likely to keep him off the field against the unbeaten Panthers.

One of James' backups, James Mungro, also missed Wednesday's practice because of an injured right knee. Dungy did not elaborate on the injury and said Mungro was questionable for Sunday.

Ryan Diem, the Colts starting right tackle, already has been ruled out of Sunday's game. Diem has missed two games with an injured left ankle.

Linebacker Jim Nelson also will sit out this weekend after breaking his left collar bone in Monday night's 38-35 victory at Tampa Bay. Nelson is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks and might be placed on injured reserve if he needs surgery.

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/sports/6965299.htm

TheGeneral+ · Oct 9, 2003

The stated objective of every offense in the NFL is to diversify and be balanced.

The Carolina Panthers seem to be an exception to the rule.

"We have a formula," Panthers coach John Fox said Wednesday in a conference call.

He wouldn't elaborate. It wasn't necessary.

Forget how the league's masses approach things on offense. When the Panthers (4-0) meet the Indianapolis Colts (5-0) in a sold-out RCA Dome on Sunday, they'll be accompanied by the NFL's most lopsided offense and one of the league's premier running backs in Stephen Davis.

"I think in the NFL everyone can do both, run and throw," said Colts linebacker Rob Morris. "But what they want to do is run the ball on you.

"They would prefer to be one-dimensional because that means they're doing their game plan. So you have to force them to be two-dimensional."

No one has been able to force balance on the Panthers thus far.

Through the first five weeks of the season, Carolina is one of just six teams that has run the football more than it has passed. The Panthers' run ratio -- 57.1 percent -- is more lopsided than Miami (55.8), Minnesota (53.4), Baltimore (52.8), Denver (51.7) and Dallas (50.2).

The Colts have run the ball just 42.4 percent of the time.

Running the ball has translated into winning. The league's top five rushing teams -- Baltimore, Carolina, Denver, Minnesota and Kansas City -- have combined for a 20-3 record.

Carolina isn't running just to keep quarterback Jake Delhomme, who has five career starts with three this season, from carrying too heavy a load.

The Panthers run because Fox prefers to pound away on offense and rely on defense and special teams.

And they run because they can. It can be argued the most valuable free-agent acquisition during the off-season was Carolina snatching up Davis, the longtime Washington Redskins standout.

"I'm getting an opportunity and that's all I can ask for," Davis said. "I think I'm in a great situation."

Fox noted Davis has "been as advertised."

Davis is a relentless 6-0, 230-pounder. He leads the NFC and is second in the NFL with 565 yards in four games. He set a club record with four consecutive 100-yard games and has gotten stronger each week -- 111 yards against Jacksonville, 142 against Tampa Bay, 153 against Atlanta and 159 against New Orleans.

"He's a guy you cannot let get started," coach Tony Dungy said. "If he makes a few good runs early in the game, he gets stronger and stronger and his momentum carries him."

The Colts defense is gearing up for what it expects to be a black and blue game.

Safety Mike Doss said he's going to put in more time in the weight room this week.

"I've got to get beefed up a little bit to get ready for him," he said.

Added tackle Larry Tripplett: "We've got to put our big-boy pads on this week. This is a down-hill runner, a big, physical back. It's going to be a big challenge for us."

Sunday would seem to be a meeting of one team's strength with another's weakness. Carolina's rushing attack ranks No. 2 in the league (167.8). The Colts rushing defense has slipped to No. 20 in yards per game (119.4) and No. 27 in yards per attempt (4.7).

After not allowing a tailback to rush for 100 yards in 14 consecutive games, the defense has yielded three in a row to Jacksonville's Fred Taylor (126 yards), New Orleans' Deuce McAllister (101) and Tampa Bay's Michael Pittman (106).

Perhaps more alarming has been the consistency with which backs have gotten loose for sizable gains. In the past three games, Taylor, McAllister and Pittman have combined for 13 runs of at least 10 yards. Some of that can be attributed to missed tackles and some to players not handling their one-gap responsibilities.

"We've got to get our run defense squared away," Dungy said. "We've had three 100-yard rushers in a row against us and this is a much better running attack than the last three we've played."

The Colts have won despite yielding the three 100-yard rushing games. But it's a dangerous trend to test. From 1997-2001, they won only five of 32 games when allowing a 100-yard rusher.

"We just have to be sounder than we've played the last two weeks," Dungy said.

http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/6/081769-1976-036.html

TheGeneral+ · Oct 10, 2003

Victory for the Colts would match the best start in franchise history since 1958 when the team, then based in Baltimore, won the NFL Championship.

Panthers owner Jerry Richardson was a rookie receiver for the '58 Colts.

His current team have made the first 4-0 start in their nine-year history.

Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning said: "They're good, but I've faced a lot of different situations. I've been around the block a little bit."

Manning, whose father Archie was a gifted NFL passer, threw six touchdown passes in a 55-21 rout of New Orleans two weeks ago.

Last Monday, he led one of the greatest comeback in NFL history, rallying the Colts past Tampa Bay 38-35.

Against the reigning Super Bowl champions, Manning completed 34-of-47 passes for 386 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts had trailed 35-14 with 5:09 to play in regulation time.

Coach Tony Dungy said: "They never gave up. That's what I like about us - we have a great team chemistry."

The Colts became the first club in NFL history to rally from 21 points down in the final four minutes, winning on a field goal in OT.

Their never-say-die approach was not lost upon the Carolina defence.

Panthers cornerback Terry Cousin said of Manning: "He's smart. You can't just stand up there and show him some base defence and let him tee off on you."

Carolina's offence counters with running back Stephen Davis, who ran for 159 yards on 30 carries in last week's 19-13 triumph over New Orleans.

Colts' star rusher, Edgerrin James, has missed two games with a sore back and might not play against Carolina.

The Colts have a bye next week and James could enjoy extra time to recover if he stays on the sidelines.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/us_sport/3180202.stm

TheGeneral+ · Oct 11, 2003

INJURIES
QUESTIONABLE DT Brentson Buckner (Knee)

PROBABLE OLB Mike Caldwell (Knee)
RB DeShaun Foster (Knee)
MLB Dan Morgan (Hamstring)

INJURIES
OUT T Ryan Diem (Ankle)
CB Joseph Jefferson (Other)
OLB Jim Nelson (Other)

QUESTIONABLE T Tarik Glenn (Knee)
RB Edgerrin James (Back)
FB James Mungro (Knee)
CB Donald Strickland (Finger)

PROBABLE FS Idrees Bashir (Ankle)
DE Chad Bratzke (Wrist)
CB Nicholas Harper (Shoulder)
CB Walt Harris (Knee)
WR Brad Pyatt (Hip)
DT Montae Reagor (Knee)
RB Dominic Rhodes (Knee)
C Jeff Saturday (Back)
G Steve Sciullo (Foot)
OLB David Thornton (Thigh)

TheGeneral+ · Oct 12, 2003

Colts dead set on running the ball much today vs Carolina. Hopefully they are setting up the defense, but it is boring football when you have the Manning gun.

TheGeneral+ · Oct 12, 2003

Colts drop to 5-1.

Carolina 23 Colts 20

Terrific football game. Sure wish the Colts would play like they needed to score for 4 qts.

TheGeneral+ · Oct 12, 2003

INDIANAPOLIS - (KRT) - There are no clean hops in football.

When the ball hits the ground, crazy things can happen. And every time the ball bounced on the floor of the RCA Dome on

Sunday, it seemed to take another bite out of the Indianapolis Colts'

unbeaten season.

Four specific fumbles doomed the Colts to a 23-20 overtime defeat at the hands of the Carolina Panthers in a battle of NFL unbeatens. The Panthers recovered three of those fumbles - the one fumble the Colts did fall on didn't count. That fumble was overturned by replay.

Leading, 20-13, with eight minutes remaining in regulation, the Panthers tried to throw a screen pass out of their own end zone. Tight end Kris Mangum slid into the middle of the field for the pass, but Colts defensive end Chad Bratzke stepped in front of him for an interception at the 10.

Mangum reached in for the ball, and the two players yanked and pulled at each other for about 3

yards before the football finally popped loose. Colts defensive end Raheem Brock fell on it, and the officials ruled the play a fumble recovery. First down Colts at the Carolina 5.

But Panthers coach John Fox challenged the play on the basis that no possession was established and that the pass should have been ruled an incompletion. After referee Larry Nemmers studied the replays, he agreed with Fox. Possession was restored to the Panthers, giving Carolina second down at its own 13.

"I thought that both players, defense and offense, grabbed the ball and never had control of it," Nemmers said. "The ball popped out. Therefore, it's an incomplete pass. It wasn't dual possession."

Mangum agreed it wasn't dual possession.

"He caught it first," Mangum said, "then I got my hands on it quickly and stripped it quickly. I can't say for sure if he had control or not. We'll just go with the officials' call."

But Colts coach Tony Dungy wasn't as ready to concede anything to the officials.

"When we put replay in, you were supposed to need conclusive evidence to overturn a call," said Dungy, who is a coaching liaison on the NFL competition committee. "It needs to be clear and obvious. I'm watching the same replay as the officials, and I'm trying to figure out what they saw to overturn."

Quarterback Peyton Manning bailed the Colts out of that predicament by leading a 91-yard drive in the final three minutes of regulation for a game-tying touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne.

The Panthers won the coin toss in overtime and elected to receive. But Carolina returner Rod Smart fumbled on a hit by Donald Strickland at his own 25. When officials unstacked the pile, Carolina's Brian Allen was on top of the football for that fumble recovery.

It was a one-possession overtime. The Panthers moved 43 yards in 10 plays for a game-winning 47-yard field goal by John Kasay, giving the Panthers a 5-0 record for the best start in franchise history. The Colts fell to 5-1.

In the first quarter of a scoreless game, Colts halfback Ricky Williams took a 4-yard swing pass at midfield but fumbled on a hit by Greg Favors. Fellow Carolina linebacker Dan Morgan recovered - and seven plays later, the Panthers were up 3-0.

Williams, who was filling in for injured Pro Bowl halfback Edgerrin James, lost another fumble in the third quarter. This one came at the end of a 10-yard run to the Carolina 39, where safety Deon Grant recovered. The Colts were trailing, 17-13, at that point.

"When you lose a game and it's on you, that's tough to take," said Williams, a former standout at Texas Tech. "I was fighting for extra yards both times - but I have to do a better job of protecting the football. Take away those two fumbles, and we win the game. On any given Sunday, something like this can happen."

But on this particular Sunday, fumbles cost the Colts their perfect season.

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6999366.htm

TheGeneral+ · Oct 12, 2003

Tarik Glenn may have been a factor as well. A Colts leader.

He had started 101 consecutive games since the Colts drafted him in the first round in 1997.

TheGeneral+ · Oct 14, 2003

INDIANAPOLIS - Tony Dungy is accustomed to watching his teams play sound, fundamental defense - and stopping the run.

He hardly recognized his Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Instead of sticking to the plan - "Dungy Ball" - the Colts gave their coach a firsthand look at something he'd rather not witness again: "street ball."

"It's wasted energy," Dungy said, explaining the term he used several times Monday. "Guys are playing hard without thinking. There's a time to take an educated guess, but most of the time you have to do what you're supposed to do."

Instead, the Colts (5-1) did virtually everything wrong in the second half of a 23-20 overtime loss to visiting Carolina on Sunday. The morning after the Colts' first loss of the season, Dungy was unusually critical.

He called the loss one of the most disappointing games of his career, and even hinted players can expect to practice more frequently in pads the next few weeks.

Those are harsh words given Dungy's easygoing demeanor and the Colts' first-place status in the AFC South.

But Dungy already has seen enough to know something's wrong.

Indianapolis allowed Jacksonville's Fred Taylor, New Orleans' Deuce McAllister and Tampa Bay's Michael Pittman to run for more than 100 yards in three successive weeks.

The only thing that prevented a fourth straight 100-yard rusher was Stephen Davis' bruised right forearm, which kept him out for most of the final 21 minutes Sunday.

Davis, who entered the game as the NFC's leading rusher, finished with 76 yards. The rest of the Panthers ran for 113 more, including a career-high 85 from backup DeShaun Foster.

How bad was it? Carolina's 189 yards were the most the Colts have surrendered in a regular-season game since the New York Jets racked up 211 yards Dec. 3, 2000.

Only six teams - Kansas City (6-0), San Diego (0-5), the New York Jets (1-4), Atlanta (1-4), Chicago (1-4) and Oakland (2-4) - are allowing more yards per game than the Colts (131.0).

Dungy wants changes.

"We're giving up 4.7 yards per run," he said. "What that means is if you run it twice against us, it's third-and-a foot. That's what I'd do if I was playing us."

Although Dungy prefers using undersized defensive linemen and rotating players to keep them fresh, he believes the root of the problem is not personnel; it's execution.

The most troubling aspect of this week's debacle, he said, was the poor tackling and missed assignments Carolina exposed.

Davis broke four tackles en route to a 28-yard touchdown run, and Foster converted a critical third-and-1 to an 8-yard gain in which four Colts missed tackles. That allowed the Panthers to use up more time in the fourth quarter.

In overtime, Foster's 12-yard run set up Carolina's game-winning field goal and left the Colts scratching their heads.

"Basically, you have a role to play out there, everybody has a role," cornerback Nick Harper said. "Coach Dungy wants you to do your job."

Dungy has warned players for nearly a month that there were symptoms of a persistent problem.

But after opening with five straight wins, some players suggested the statistics were put up by good running backs when games had already been decided. But Dungy disagreed.

If there were any lingering doubts, Davis, Foster and Rod Smart sent the Colts' defense a stern message.

"All week our mind-set was stopping the run," defensive tackle Josh Williams said. "We struggled with it a little bit, and it hurt us."

The Colts have improved defensively in Dungy's first two seasons by creating more turnovers and yielding fewer points. But the reality is that more work needs to be done.

Dungy has two weeks to devise a solution for the Colts' run defense.

They're off next Sunday. When the Colts face Houston on Oct. 26, Dungy expects to see a more stout, disciplined unit.

"We're going to use the bye to see if we can eliminate some of the problems because our defense will have to be much better to get us where we want to go," he said.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/7005351.htm

TheGeneral+ · Oct 14, 2003

INDIANAPOLIS - Running back Edgerrin James and right tackle Ryan Diem have missed three straight games for the Indianapolis Colts.

Left tackle Tarik Glenn sat out Sunday with a strained ligament in his left knee. Cornerback Cliff Crosby now has a sore groin.

And the Colts (5-1) also are trying to heal after a bruising 23-20 overtime loss to Carolina.

If ever there was a time for a break, it is now. Fortunately for the Colts, the NFL's schedule-makers had great foresight as this is the team's bye week.

"It's a good time for us," coach Tony Dungy said. "We're coming off a stretch where we had a Sunday night road game, a Monday night road game and a tough home game."

What makes the timing even better for the Colts is that they're likely to get some of their key players healthy.

James, a two-time NFL rushing champ, said he has one broken bone in his lower back and a hairline fracture in a second bone.

When Indianapolis faces Houston on Oct. 26, James will have had almost six full weeks to recover. Dungy believes James will be ready to play.

Diem, the Colts starter at right tackle, hasn't played since Sept. 21 because of a high ankle sprain. Dungy had targeted the Houston game for his return.

Glenn, the Colts starter at left tackle, missed the first game of his career after making 101 consecutive starts. He said last week he could have played against Carolina if the Colts needed him, but Dungy opted to start rookie Makoa Freitas and give Glenn a couple weeks to heal.

---

BYE, BYE LOSS: As disappointed as Dungy was with the Colts performance in Sunday's loss, he also is trying to turn the page.

Dungy wants his players to remember the lessons of their first loss of the season, but he also thinks it will provide the coaches and players with motivation that should serve them well after the bye.

"We're 5-1 and we're not playing the way we need to play," he said. "If we play the way we can play, there's no reason we can't run off another winning streak."

Last year, the Colts had a similar schedule - road games on a Sunday night and a Monday night before returning home to face Tennessee.

Indianapolis lost all three games. This year, they won two of the three in what might prove their most challenging stretch of the season.

"We're in better shape than last year," he said.

---

LOST TOSS: Dungy likes the NFL's overtime system just the way it is. Even if others don't.

The offseason league meetings had discussions about possibly altering the overtime rule to ensure each team got the ball, much like they do in the college game.

Dungy has repeatedly said he is opposed to that and it appears his opinion isn't changing after the Colts had mixed results in two straight overtime games.

"I wanted to lose the coin toss," he said, referring to Sunday. "I wanted to stop them and get the ball back and take it down and score."

That's exactly what the Colts did a week earlier at Tampa Bay when Mike Vanderjagt hit a game-winning 29-yard field goal.

On Sunday, the Colts did not stop Carolina and never got a chance to win the game.

---

FREQUENT CUSTOMER: Linebacker Jim Nelson was back in the locker room Monday, less than a week after having surgery on his broken left collar bone.

Nelson was injured at Tampa Bay when he fell awkwardly. It didn't take Nelson long to diagnose the injury.

"As loud as it was in Tampa, I still heard it crack," he said. "As soon as I did it, I knew what happened."

While Nelson had played in 69 straight games, with Green Bay, Minnesota and Indianapolis dating to 1999, surgeries are becoming too commonplace.

In August, he cracked a bone in his left hand and the scars from that surgery were still visible Monday.

"I'm becoming a frequent visitor to the surgery clinic, unfortunately," Nelson said.

---

PUNTS: Dwight Freeney had two sacks in Sunday's game and now has three this season. ... The Colts have seven interceptions through six games. Last season, they finished the season with 10. ... Vanderjagt hasn't missed a kick this season, making all 19 field goal attempts and all 15 extra point attempts. He leads the NFL in scoring with 64 points. ... Although Kansas City's Dante Hall has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, Colts rookie Brad Pyatt is the league leader. His 29.5 average is the NFL's best.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/7012724.htm

TheGeneral+ · Oct 16, 2003

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Indianapolis Colts running back James Mungro underwent successful knee surgery on Thursday.

Mungro had a "loose body" removed from his right knee and will be evaluated on a day-by-day basis. Indianapolis has a bye this weekend.

The Syracuse product apparently suffered the injury during a Monday night overtime win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mungro, an East Stroudsburg, PA native, has 60 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

Indianapolis (5-1) could also be without running back Ricky Williams, who has a sprained left ankle. Starting running back Edgerrin James is already hampered by a back injury.

Meanwhile, defensive lineman Chad Bratzke has a chip fracture in his right forearm, but is not expected to miss any time.

!

TheGeneral+ · Oct 18, 2003

INDIANAPOLIS - Tony Dungy looks at the Indianapolis Colts' start and sees promise.

The Colts are 5-1 entering the bye week, they're leading the AFC South and, after six weeks, they're one of only three of last year's playoff teams with a winning record.

They've won impressively against their nemesis, Tennessee, and produced one of this season's most memorable games with a stunning Monday night comeback at Tampa Bay.

Dungy, a perfectionist, also isn't satisfied with what he's watching.

"We're probably not as physical down the line on offense, defense or special teams as we need to be," he said.

But Dungy cannot ignore the fact Indianapolis has improved vastly since last season's embarrassing 41-0 playoff loss to the New York Jets. At times, it seems the Colts are almost unrecognizable when compared to that team.

While the essential names have remained the same - Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Edgerrin James and Dwight Freeney - "Dungy Ball" is producing far better results in its second season.

The Colts are taking advantage of a few breaks and creating many others. They now rank among the league's best in turnover margin (plus-4).

Indianapolis also is manufacturing wins and hardly missed a step without James after struggling when he wasn't at full strength last season.

For the Colts, everything appears to be clicking, including the timing of this bye.

Both starting tackles, Ryan Diem and Tarik Glenn, missed Sunday's game with injuries. James, the NFL's rushing champ in 1999 and 2000, missed the last three games with two broken bones in his back.

All three are expected to return when the Colts meet Houston on Oct. 26.

"I think this is the best off week I can remember, as far as the timing," Manning said. "After this is when we're going to find out about our team."

Dungy also is eager to see how his team responds.

Each week, he warns his players about the dangers of fast starts and sudden collapses, something well-documented in a city where leaders in a 500-mile race can get knocked out in an instant.

If Dungy didn't have his players' attention before Sunday's loss, he certainly does now after his uncharacteristically critical appraisal of the Carolina game.

"We are a great football team offensively and defensively, but we've got to learn from it and keep on going," defensive tackle Josh Williams said.

Dungy's plan is simple. This week, he went back to basics, focusing on fundamentals and mental preparation. Next week, Indianapolis goes back to work, with more practice time in pads and a greater emphasis on getting physical.

Dungy, who led the Buccaneers to the 1999 NFC championship game, knows this: For the Colts to become legitimate contenders, they must run more effectively and become more proficient at stopping the run in their last 10 games.

"We have to get back to playing fundamental football," Dungy said. "Not guessing, but doing what we're supposed to do. I thought we were doing that early in the season."

The good news for the Colts is they already may have survived their most difficult stretch.

They won a Sunday night game in New Orleans, the Monday nighter in Tampa and nearly pulled off a second straight rally against Carolina - all without James and Diem.

During a similar stretch last season, the Colts lost all three games.

Five of their remaining 10 opponents have losing records and they face winning teams in back-to-back weeks only once more this season, at home against New England (4-2) and at Tennessee (4-2).

But Dungy expects his players to think beyond the favorable matchups.

"Our defense will have to be much better to get where we want to go," he said.

The bye week gives Indianapolis time to work out the kinks.

If the team responds like Dungy hopes, he knows the Colts could be celebrating the one thing that has eluded them since Manning's arrival in 1998 - a long playoff run.

"It's a blessing in disguise," he said of the Colts' fast start. "We're 5-1 and we're not playing the way we can. If we play the way we can, there's no reason we can't have another winning streak."

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/7046504.htm

TheGeneral+ · Oct 21, 2003

The Indianapolis Colts have reached a contract agreement with team president Bill Polian in a deal that would keep the team's principal architect with the franchise into 2009.

Polian joined the Colts as president after the 1997 season, helping to turn a team that had only reached the playoffs twice since 1988 into one of the NFL's best in recent seasons.

Colts owner Jim Irsay said the decision to try and keep Polian with the team never was in doubt.

"I believe strongly in continuity," Irsay told The Indianapolis Star for a story Tuesday. "Since the late '90s, we have been a very competitive team, a playoff team, and clearly Bill has been a big part of that."

Polian's contract had been due to expire after the 2004 NFL draft.

A team spokesman declined to comment Tuesday to The Associated Press on Polian's status. A message seeking comment was left at Irsay's office.

Polian, 60, had been an executive with the Buffalo Bills and the Carolina Panthers before joining the Colts.

Peyton Manning and Edgerrin James are among the draft selections Polian has made with the Colts.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/7067090.htm

TheGeneral+ · Oct 22, 2003

Edgerrin James is antsy.

After three games as an anxious bystander and an uneventful bye weekend, the Indianapolis Colts running back is ready to break loose from the training room and start breaking tackles on the field.

James says his back feels good, although there's no pain-free guarantee. Two fractured transverse process bones in his lower back mean there's no telling what could happen when James returns to the starting lineup as the Colts (5-1) host AFC South rival Houston (2-4) on Sunday at the RCA Dome.

The only certainty is that James knows he's suiting up.

"I am playing this week," James said after working up a modest sweat in Monday's practice. "There's no doubt about it."

Some of his down time was precautionary. He practiced the previous two game weeks but was scratched as a game-time decision. Colts coach Tony Dungy is thinking big picture. He wants his runner as healthy as possible for the long haul.

Dungy isn't sure that James is 100 percent but presumes he's close. The coach expects James to "really be ready to go.

"If not, we'll hold him out," Dungy said. "We still want to look at this thing in the long run, the totality of the season."

But the Colts appear to need James now. They're running out of running backs.

Ricky Williams has a sprained left ankle. James Mungro is recuperating from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Both are out for Sunday. Dominic Rhodes has a sore right knee. He's practicing this week but isn't physically ready to take the pounding for an entire game.

That leaves James and recently re-signed second-year back Brian Allen as the ball-carrier options.

"We don't have nobody," James said. "I can go out there and play with pain. I don't have a problem with it.

"I've sat out long enough. I want to get out there and play."

James said he won't need any protective padding for his back.

"Nah. I'm cool," he said.

"I would say I've had enough time."

Despite the successful start, the Colts are 25th in rushing offense at 86.2 yards per game. And James isn't the only cog in that equation fighting health issues.

Right tackle Ryan Diem has missed three games with a left high ankle sprain.

Left tackle Tarik Glenn sat out the past game, a 23-20 home loss to Carolina, with a sprained left knee ligament.

James ranks 15th in the AFC with 263 yards rushing, but a 3.7-yard average isn't up to his lofty standards.

A Pro Bowl starter his first two seasons, James averaged 4.2 and 4.4 yards per carry and led the league in rushing with 1,553 yards in 1999 and 1,709 in 2000. And he didn't miss a start.

He was averaging 4.4 yards per carry through six games in 2001 before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at Kansas City.

He's been dogged by health questions since.

James played hurt on that reconstructed knee last season. He injured both ankles. He tore rib cartilage and strained a hamstring. It cost him two games. James finished with 989 yards rushing and averaged 3.6 per carry.

"In this game, you're going to have a lot of injuries," he said. "It's something that I can't control.

"Last year, I was frustrated. Now, I can't even get mad. Some things happen. You can't do nothing about getting a fracture in your back. There's nothing you can do about it but just wait. When I'm healthy, I know what I'm capable of doing."

The old James wouldn't want to sit, no matter what the malady. An older and wiser runner realizes the rest makes smarter football sense.

"I like everything that's going on around here," he said. "I just hate the training room."

As James said that, Glenn walked by.

"He's new in there," James said of the hobbled blocker. "I'm showing him the ropes."

http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/3/085447-6953-036.html

SrMuny · Oct 22, 2003

10/22/2003 07:20pm PST

NFL

GAME #233-234

INDIANAPOLIS - (RB) EDGERRIN JAMES UPGRADED FROM "?" TO EXPECTED TO START.
AP REPORTS -
RUNNING BACK EDGERRIN JAMES IS EXPECTED TO START WHEN THE INDIANAPOLIS
COLTS PLAY THE HOUSTON TEXANS ON SUNDAY AT THE RCA DOME. JAMES HAS
MISSED THE LAST THREE GAMES WITH A LOWER BACK INJURY, BUT THE TWO-TIME
NFL RUSHING CHAMPION WAS ABLE TO PRACTICE MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY.